November 25, 2014

My Head Hurts

In case you're curious, I'll be swearing off all news outlets for the foreseeable future. I wish one, just one, would get it right.

~ Brown was not a "teenager." Saying someone is a teenager, it implies a 14 year old boy. He was 18 years old, a legal adult, capable of voting, and larger than most adult men.

~ Brown robbed a store, using his stature as a weapon.

~ Officer Wilson was the RANDOM officer who responded to the call of the robbery and saw Brown walking in the middle of the street, matching the description given to him by dispatch, holding the box of cigars he allegedly stole. HE WAS NOT RACIALLY PROFILING BROWN. Brown matched the description of the person suspected in the robbery.

~ Can we stop saying that Brown allegedly robbed the store? He robbed the store. There is video to prove it.

~ Brown assaulted Officer Wilson while still in his police vehicle and as a result of that assault, Brown was shot and killed.

While I acknowledge that white privilege does exist and there are instances when black people are unfairly scrutinized, this case is not an example of that. The fact that people believe it is, makes my head hurt.

I don't have the answers. I don't know why Brown chose to not obey Officer Wilson's demands that day. But Officer Wilson had every right to defend himself that day, when his authority as a law enforcement officer was physically threatened. Was he supposed to just hand Brown his gun and run away?

I don't want to live in a society where the thugs win. If you're a thug - black, white, green, or purple - and you threaten a police officer's life, be prepared to accept the consequences. It's really that simple.